A Helping Hand: Celia Dale

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Hmm, I think comparing anything to Shirley Jackson sets a certain precedent, and whilst this was definitely similar in ways it didn’t quite deliver on the delicious sinister energy I was hoping for (though it was sinister but not quite with the same vibes!

Post navigation ← The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast – Episode 37: Hotel Novels Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux (tr. While the usual elements of a standard crime story will not be found in this novel, what happens here certainly falls within the realm of the genre, and given that this book was written in the 1960s, it remains extremely pertinent in our contemporary world which makes what happens even more frightening.The novel’s first chapter is a masterclass in suburban unease, crammed with pension books and newspapers and tapestry footstools. A sweet little side story tells us what happens to her, and the final chapter contains a fabulous plot twist. By the end of the holiday, a plan is in place for Mrs Fingal to go and live with the Evanses – an arrangement that seems to suit everyone concerned.

In truth, Lena is selfish, irritable and impatient – qualities that Maisie soon turns to her own advantage by listening to Lena’s woes. I read A Dark Corner some time ago and have plans to reread it soon, but A Helping Hand is completely new to me. I’m broadly supportive of assisted suicide in appropriate circumstances, but the safeguards have to be in place to avoid misuse/coercive control.Her writing is subtle, clear, beautiful at times, engrossing even when her characters repeat themselves. We meet Josh Evans, cheerfully squalid, with a fondness for ‘busts’ and bikinis; and Maisie, a lifelong nurse, in whose mouth the word ‘dear’ has the ordinary deadliness of a kitchen knife. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

Dale shows what can be done with a crime novel, that it needn’t be bloody murder, bank heists, or kidnappings. Right from the very start, Dale hints at the Evanses’ true motivations for befriending these fellow Brits, with Maisie targeting Lena while Josh works his magic on Mrs F. The one and only thing I found to be on the negative side is that right after a rather stunning twist the story comes to a quick, almost rushed ending which was a bit disappointing, but in the long run it's really more about the getting there, and overall the novel is a true gut puncher. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without written permission from this blog’s author is prohibited.

Auntie Flo had lived with them for years until her death, leaving the Evans's her Estate, such as it was. Mr and Mrs Evans are having a little holiday in Italy when the meet old Mrs Fingal and her niece Lena. I don't think the style is anything too special, but it's good and it works and honestly, that's the most important thing. We owe a debt of gratitude to the publisher Valancourt, whose aim is to resurrect some neglected works of literature, especially those incorporating a supernatural strand, and make them available to a new readership. I found Sheep's Clothing a far better and more subtle novel and depiction of quiet crime but this novel delivers the groundwork.